The Spirit and the Bride Say “Come”

From the Series: Ordinary Saints: Lessons from the Ante-Nicene Church

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Waiting is different when you love the person who is coming. You watch for their arrival. You listen for the familiar sound at the door. As the expected hour approaches, anticipation grows; not because you fear the person who is coming, but because you want to see them. The Bible closes with that kind of expectation. After all the visions John has witnessed, the judgments, the fall of Babylon, the marriage supper of the Lamb, Christ’s victorious return, the final judgment, and the breathtaking beauty of the New Jerusalem, Jesus speaks: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

A few verses later, He identifies Himself as “the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Then comes the response: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Revelation 22:17). The Bible is approaching its final words, and the Church is looking toward her returning Lord. Come. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting response from the Bride.

In the previous article, we saw that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself for her” and that He is sanctifying His Church in preparation for the day when He will present her to Himself (Ephesians 5:25–27). Revelation now carries that picture toward its glorious conclusion. The Bride has been waiting for the Bridegroom. And she wants Him to come. That longing did not begin in Revelation. Paul described believers as those who “eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). To the Corinthians, he preserved the Aramaic expression Maranatha—” O Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). For the earliest generations of Christians, those words carried particular weight.

Imagine whispering Maranatha with other believers gathered inside a home while hostility toward Christians grows outside. Perhaps someone you knew had recently been imprisoned. Perhaps another had lost employment because of allegiance to Christ. Perhaps you knew that before another gathering took place, authorities might arrive at your own door. Yet the Christian hope was not merely that circumstances would improve. Their hope was a Person. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, ascended to the Father, and promised to return. So they waited.

Even today, many believers face their own trials for following Christ—sometimes open hostility, ridicule, strained relationships, or pressures at work and in society. While the context may differ, the longing and hope remain the same. The faith that strengthened the early Church continues to encourage us as we wait for Christ amid our own challenges.

The Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, preserves the prayer, “Maranatha.” Whatever difficulties surrounded these believers, their expectation reached beyond Rome, beyond persecution, and beyond the present age toward the return of their Lord. But biblical expectation was never intended to produce passive Christianity. The Bride who says, “Come,” is also a Bride being prepared.

The Holy Spirit is central to that preparation. He is not an impersonal force or religious emotion, but the divine Person whom Christ promised would dwell with His people. Jesus said the Spirit would teach His disciples and bring His words to remembrance (John 14:26). Paul writes that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5).

Through His indwelling presence, the Spirit works within believers as we await Christ. He produces His fruit in us, leads us according to God’s truth, strengthens us in weakness, and increasingly conforms us to the character of Christ. Waiting for the Bridegroom therefore changes the way the Bride lives. John makes this connection explicit elsewhere: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Biblical hope does not lead us away from ordinary responsibilities. It changes how faithfully we carry them. We forgive because Christ is coming. This might mean reaching out to someone who has wronged us, choosing words of peace instead of retaliation, or praying for those who have hurt us. We pursue holiness because Christ is coming. That could look like setting aside time each morning for prayer or Scripture, resisting temptations at work or online, or asking a friend to help us stay accountable. We serve one another because Christ is coming. Perhaps this means writing a note of encouragement, offering to help a neighbor, or using our skills to assist someone in need at Church. We proclaim the gospel because Christ is coming. Sometimes that is as simple as sharing a meal and our story with someone who does not yet know Jesus, inviting a friend to worship, or patiently answering honest questions about faith. We hold the things of this world more loosely because Christ is coming. This might show in our generosity with time or possessions, or in choosing contentment over constant striving for more. And here Revelation 22:17 becomes even more beautiful. The verse begins with the Spirit and the Bride saying, “Come.” Then the invitation widens: “And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

The Bride looks toward her returning Lord, but she also looks toward a thirsty world. There is still room to come. There are still people who do not know the Savior whom the Bride awaits. There are still thirsty souls who need the water of life. And so expectation and evangelism meet in the same verse. The Church says to Christ, Come. And to the thirsty, Come. That gives Christian witness a beautiful character. We are not merely delivering information about salvation. As ambassadors of Christ, we are inviting people to the Savior who reconciled us to Himself. We can extend this invitation in practical ways. Opening our homes in hospitality, serving the community together, volunteering for outreach events, or sharing our personal testimonies can each point others to Jesus. Even a simple act of kindness or a genuine conversation about faith can begin a new life for someone thirsty for hope.

The early Christians understood something of this. Their expectation of Christ’s return did not cause them to withdraw from their neighbors. They carried the gospel through cities and marketplaces, homes and trade routes. They cared for the poor, welcomed strangers, discipled new believers, and continued proclaiming Christ even when doing so could cost them dearly. They waited while they worked. They longed while they witnessed. They looked for Christ while calling others to Christ.

Perhaps that is where Revelation’s closing invitation should meet us today. It is easy for Christ’s return to become merely a doctrine we affirm. We can study prophecy, debate sequences of events, and become very knowledgeable about eschatology while losing the simple affection expressed at the end of Scripture. But what about our own hearts? Do we actually want to see Jesus, or have we settled for ideas about Him rather than longing for His presence? Take a moment to reflect: When you think of Christ’s return, is there real anticipation in your Spirit, or has waiting become routine? For the believer, Christ’s return is not merely the next event on a prophetic timeline. Our King is returning. Our Savior is returning. The Bridegroom is returning for His Bride.

Until that day, the Holy Spirit continues His work among Christ’s people, and the invitation of the gospel continues to go out to the world. There is therefore something wonderfully appropriate about the Church living with two directions always before her: looking upward in expectation and outward in invitation. To Christ we say: Come, Lord Jesus. To the thirsty world we say: Come to Jesus. And Scripture leaves us with both invitations still ringing as the Bible closes. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). Until He does, the Bride waits, prepares, witnesses, and hopes. Not for an event alone. For Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, deepen my love for You so that Your return is more than a doctrine I believe but a hope I genuinely cherish. Through Your Holy Spirit, continue to sanctify Your Church and make us faithful while we wait. Give us compassion for those who are still thirsty, courage to proclaim the gospel, and lives that faithfully point others toward You. Until the day we see You face to face, may the longing of our hearts remain the prayer with which Your Word closes: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Amen.